THE RELIGION OF HUMANITY: Islam’s Ethical and Spiritual Outlook

CULTURE OF COMPASSION temporary difficulties with patience and making decisions based on reason will guide your future toward success. This applies equally to national and community life. In public affairs, people often encounter unpleasant actions or provocative words. In such situations, patience remains the only path to success. If one group fails to overlook another’s offensive behaviour and responds with confrontation, they are bound to fail. According to the Prophet’s advice, true success lies in controlling negative emotions. Instead of rising against others, control yourself. This patient approach will turn hardship into ease and difficulty into opportunity. PATIENCE AS WORSHIP When the time for prayer arrives and the call to prayer (adhan) is heard from the mosque, a believer feels joy that the time has come to perform prayer and earn its reward. Similarly, when the crescent moon of Ramadan is sighted, Muslims rejoice, recognizing that the month has arrived to fast and attain its blessings. In the same way, there is another great form of worship, referred to in religious teachings as patience (sabr). The Quran says that those who practice patience will receive a reward beyond measure (39:10). A hadith says, “No one has been given a better or vaster gift than patience.” (Sahih alBukhari, Hadith No. 6470) Patience is a form of worship— indeed, it is among the greatest of all acts of devotion.